Light beams or optical signals are used for a variety of purposes in electronic systems. For example, an optical signal may be used to transmit data, for position or motion sensing, for taking measurements or for any of a variety of other tasks.
Consequently, optical technology plays a significant role in modern electronics, and many electronic devices employ optical components. Examples of such optical components may include optical or light sources such as light emitting diodes and lasers, waveguides, fiber optics, lenses and other optics, photo-detectors and other optical sensors, optically-sensitive semiconductors, and others.
Systems making use of optical components often rely upon the precise manipulation of optical energy, such as a beam of light, to accomplish a desired task. As indicated, optical signals are frequently used to transmit digital data between electronic devices, both over long distances and between adjacent circuit boards or even between components on a single circuit board. In such an optical signal, a light beam may be modulated with a data signal so that the light beam then carries and transmits the data. This process is known as encoding. The encoded optical signal is then directed to a sensor where it is received and the data decoded.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.